A group of abducted Africans break free from their shackles aboard a Spanish slave ship, the Amistad, so setting the scene for a lengthy courtroom drama played out against a backdrop of 19th Century slavery. Matthew McConaughy is the noble young lawyer fighting for the slaves' freedom, while Anthony Hopkins is mesmerising as decrepit former President John Quincy Adams. Superb sets and an authentic atmosphere, and it's pretty gruesome at times too. Typically Spielberg-esque epic. find out more...

An impressive BBC adaptation of Dostoyevsky's tragic masterpiece, a profound analysis of redemption and a cerebral detective story of the soul. find out more...

A vivid dramatisation of the young Abraham Lincoln, from his meagre Kentucky roots, his training as a lawyer and his eventual entrance into politics. The Young Lincoln is directed and performed with immense heart, a deserved classic by two of the greats of American cinema about one of the greats of American history. find out more...